Ready to make a little extra money and declutter your space and mind through a resale empire? You don’t need to have a history of garage saling on your resume to take advantage of this and rule Facebook Marketplace, VarageSale or Kijiji. In this blog, I’ll share the benefits of reselling your items in order to turn the unused and unwanted into vacation funds or a new wardrobe.

The day the empire was born

As a kid, one of my favourite things to do in the summer was to go garage saling with my mom and sister. Although Spice Girls merchandise (don’t act like you didn’t collect the stickers from the bubble gum) or rare Pokemon cards to bring home to my brother were on the top of the list, we also kept our eye out for hidden gems or brand new items to snag for a fraction of the price.

As a trio we weren’t just treasure hunters, we had garage sales of our own. Every year we’d play the game of “keep or sell” with our toys in order to decide which ones we’d be willing to part with. The decision was a bit easier to make knowing that we’d get to keep the money we made to put towards something else we had our eye on – another Ty beanie baby, a fresh Skip-It, or save up to buy Mario Party for Nintendo 64.

Back then I had my first taste of what it was like to resell my items and use that money to buy something new or save up for a bigger ticket item. Fast forward to 2015 when I discovered an app called VarageSale. For those of you who don’t know, VarageSale is essentially an online garage sale where you can buy and sell locally. After a quick review, I HAD to share with my mom and she was quickly on board to try this out with me – this will forever be the day the empire was born.

Started from the bottom now we’re here

App downloaded, check. Profile created, check. Items to sell (we can thank many years of low-key hoarding for this one) – check! If the rush of selling our first items wasn’t enough, it was seeing items we no longer use or wear turn into money. On top of that, the amount of space cleared after the decluttering and the quality time my mom and I spent together bonding and reminiscing over years of possessions were so valuable.

What started as a mother and daughter cleaning spree turned into a mini side hustle. We were not only selling our own stuff but we started to sell for my sister, brother, and a couple aunts. Even my dad was getting into it! I know you must be thinking, doesn’t this take time and effort? The answer is: yes it does, but I would also say it is worth it. According to this article, 82% of Canadians participate in second-hand transactions and this has grown steadily over the last several years. If you’re willing to put in a bit of effort you will see a big return! Let’s talk about some of the benefits of reselling your items.

Benefits of reselling

Money maker

This is probably the most rewarding benefit – you make money! Depending on the quantity, size and quality of items you’re selling, you could be bringing in an additional income ranging from $20 a week to a couple hundred dollars a month or more. According to that same article, Canadians have earned an average of $961 and saved an average of $723 each year through buying and selling second-hand items. This is tax free money in your pocket – and if you think about it, you’re getting paid to declutter your home!

It wouldn’t be a #MONEYTALK blog if I didn’t talk about what you could do with this extra money. For me, I’ve graduated from those Ty beanie babies and N64 games to putting this money aside to feed my travel bug. When it is safe to fly again, these savings will go directly to a flight to Hawaii and a couple cocktails on the beach.

This is a short-term savings goal I have my eyes set on. Your short-term savings goals can range from purchasing a few new pieces for your wardrobe, to buying a treadmill for your home gym, to adding dollars to your kitchen renovation fund. It’s also important to consider topping up your emergency savings fund as this comes in handy when your furnace needs repairing. Living in Saskatchewan, we all know how important that is!

Another option is to put this collection into something long-term like an RRSP for your future self or an RESP for the future of your little one. If you’re looking to set a savings goal, this “Kick-start your finances: goal setting” blog will help get you started!

Reduces clutter in your space and mind

If you’ve ever gone through the process of decluttering and reorganizing, you understand the both calming and energizing feeling that comes from the result.

I’m sure everyone has their own method to their madness but if you’re looking for a tip, I’d suggest starting the decluttering and organization process with one section or category of the house at a time. For instance, starting with your closet first and working your way to each room of the house. It is a little less overwhelming and makes you feel like you are finding success as you are accomplishing smaller, attainable goals rather than one big one.

I find it helpful to put items in each room into piles of keep, sell, donate or toss. If you get stuck, just think to yourself “what would Marie Kondo do?” If you haven’t been introduced to Marie Kondo, now is the time you become familiar– you’ll thank me later!

Ballin’ on a budget

As I mentioned, VarageSale is a way to buy and sell. As a budget conscious person, using this app provides access to buying used items that are almost brand new for half the price. After all, you’ve worked hard for this extra money and here you’ll get more bang for your buck.

Ready, set, sell: Tips for resell success

Now that you’ve identified the items that you are wanting to sell, let’s get you set up to best position your products and connect you to buyers on apps and websites such as Varagesale, Facebook Marketplace, eBay and Kijiji. Here are some tips when reselling your items to set you up for success:

Good quality

To be a reputable seller, you want to make sure the items you are selling are in good shape. Avoid selling items that are broken, torn or missing pieces – these should end up in your “toss” pile. By misleading buyers on the quality of the items you are selling, you are setting yourself up for a bad review and a horrible reputation which will deter buyers from trusting you. You will not find long-term success as a reseller without positive seller scores and reviews.

Clear description and photos

Be transparent! Include a clear description of what the item is, colour, size, condition, and for everyone’s sake, hold the phone still when you’re taking photos. Nothing is worse than a blurry photo of the floor titled “brand new t-shirt”. To set yourself up for a smooth transaction, it also wouldn’t hurt to include the area of the community you are living in and how you prefer transactions to take place. For example, a mailbox transaction with an e-Transfer as payment is a popular choice. These are all questions that will be asked when the buyer negotiates with you so you can save yourself some hassle by listing it up-front.

Price fairly: Have some wiggle room

Ultimately you get to decide what price you are willing to part with your items. If you price a bit lower, it may get rid of the items quicker. I recommend pricing a little higher than your goal for each item. Part of the fun of garage saling is bargaining and by allowing the seller to negotiate the price down a bit, they will feel better about the purchase.

Answer quickly and friendly

You’re more likely to make a sale if you respond promptly and friendly to potential buyers. I find this makes the transaction a lot smoother and more enjoyable.

Leveling up

As I mentioned earlier, my Mom and I started selling for my sister, brother and aunts and as much as we love the time spent together – it’s still a lot of effort. We charge a 50% commission rate to manage the resell of their items. When an item sells, we keep 50% of the total sale price and 50% goes to them. If you’re looking to level up your reselling game, reach out to friends and family and watch that side hustle grow!

Remember to have fun when building your empire. After the novelty wears off, it can feel like a lot of tedious work so keep track of your progress, celebrate the victories and enjoy connecting with buyers from across your community. Good luck!